Akkuyu nuclear power plant boosts local economy

MERSİN

The Akkuyu nuclear power plant that is being built in the southern province of Mersin, is giving a strong boost to the local economy, according to experts and a local business leader.

Since the start of the construction work, more than 500 new businesses have been registered with the Silifke Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Nurettin Kaynak, its president.

Including the registrations with other chambers, Kaynak put the estimate for the number of newly launched companies at around 1,000.

He noted that some 25,000 people are working on the power plant’s construction. “Their spending is a huge contribution to local businesses in Silifke.”

The increase in population due to the start of the nuclear power plant and the development of the industry have lured more investments into the region, according to Kaynak.

“Silifke is developing fast thanks to the new roads build. The property and constructions markets are booming,” he said.

Experts also noted that since the nuclear power plant project was launched, the region has undergone a significant transformation.

Türkiye aims to start generating electricity at its first nuclear power plant very soon and make the project fully operational by 2028 by commissioning one reactor per year, said Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar last month.

The Akkuyu power plant is being constructed by Russia’s state atomic energy company Rosatom.

The plant, which will have four VVER-1200 power reactors upon completion, will have a total installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts. It will produce 35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, about 10 percent of the country’s power consumption, when it becomes fully operational.